I've been on both ships you mentioned, although one much more recently than the other. You said you've sailed Carnival and HAL in the past. Were there aspects of one that you enjoyed more than the other?
The main differences between Infinity and Norwegian Dream are size (Infinity is much larger, although N. Dream isn't tiny by any means), age (Infinity is younger and more modern), dining schedule (NCL has open seating, Celebrity uses set dining times), and evening dress (NCL is casual, Celebrity leans toward the formal).
Hope this is a good start. Let us know what you liked (or didn't like) about your previous cruises so we may help with further info.
This was a topic of discussion a few weeks ago and here's the link to the cruise-chat.com posts. You may want to review this thread for some more opinions.
The Dream is a good ship..just a little bit "Clunky"...small dining rooms, buffet...it was stretched a few year back to make it longer...but in doing that it lost something in it's design...we travel mostly on NCL but I wouldn't probably go back on the Dream....it did take me where I wanted to go....Happy Cruising...
Hands down, no question about it, given the two ships if all else is equal go Celebrity. Not even a close call. Dream is a fine ship for getting from point A to point B with no frills. Celebrity Infinity is a cut above in every respect. If Dream were 1/3 the cost I'd think about it but probably still opt for Infinity.
Originally posted by TrvlPro: Hands down, no question about it, given the two ships if all else is equal go Celebrity.
In this case, not much is equal. There are significant differences between the two lines, some of which I outlined above. My last two cruises were on NCL and Celebrity, and while I liked them both, the onboard experiences were very different. We need the OP to come back and let us know what s/he liked about previous cruises and would like to see on the next.
Sorry Lisa, guess I should have phrased that differently. I should have said if price and itin were equal. I still can't see how the Dream could possibly be compared to Infiniy and come out of that comparison ahead in any category unless the cruiser were a die hard fan of freestyle options. Just one guy's opinion.
The Dream is a good way to get from Point A to Point B without many frills....But it's still a cruise...and no cruise is really ever BAD...some are just better....Happy Sailing..
I cannot compare the two ships but we did South American trip around the Horn last February on Infinity and had a fantastic time. (Our first HAL cruise will be this winter) There are a few days at sea but it's the novelty of very different out of the way ports of call which made the trip great. Places we'd never get to any other way. The ports remain constant no matter how you manage to get there.
I guess it's a matter of travel philosophy -- which matters most the destination or the travel there.
I have not been on a celebrity cruise, but would never choose the Dream over a celebrity from what I have heard of them. I love NCL and the freestyle cruising, but was so disappointed when we sailed on the Dream. Even wrote a letter to NCL suggesting that they retire the ship or do a massive remodeling and change crew. The crew seemed as worn as the ship and the food was not as good as other ships of NCL.
Before she was streached I would have said the Dream hands down for the trip around the Horn but now... I think I would like the Infinity better.
The Infintiy offers more room for activities in not so nice weather. Then you need to look at the ports of call - you need to decide which ones you would perfer and then the is meals...
I tend to prefer the tradional dining offers for Celebrity but the again the Dream is not the 100% Free style dinning you might be used to from newer NCL ships since she was build way before they started dreaming free style...
Choosing a particular cruise line is a very personal thing - they may all carry this label "MainStream" but in realitiy each product is different enough to make or break a vacation for a particular passenger.
Posts: 972 | Location: Germany | Registered: February 20, 2004
I think everyone makes some good points, but any eventual decision has to balance priorities. There are always trade offs. For some people, the ship IS the cruise. For others, it is the Ports, and for yet others, price is key.
For me, the decision was easy - the Dream. To me the Ports are what makes a cruise. And the price also plays a big role.
The Dream is a good ship, and where else can you take a 14 day cruise around the Horn for only $699 for an ocean view room?
